The Heart is a Battlefield
by Pearlinprocess
Summary: Sequel to "That Which Warms the Frozen Heart". On Sofia's sixteenth birthday, her father arrives home with a beautiful stranger in tow. Sofia is smitten by him, but Amber is suspicious. Is this handsome young sorcerer as harmless as he seems, or is there a darker side to him? And what does Cedric have to do with this weird, unknown youth? Cedfia implied, please review.


(( Hey guys, here's the new fic I promised! I hope to come up with a better title for it later, though. I really couldn't think of anything better... ^^;; It IS a little darker than my other STF fics so far, just so you know. Rated T for the darker themes and a bit of bad language on a very frustrated Cedric's part. But I promised myself none of my STF fics would be THAT dark. Still, just to warn ya. Anyways, hope you enjoy, and if you do, please review! ))

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Sofia woke up in a fantastic mood on the morning of her sixteenth birthday. The sun was shining bright, the birds were singing, and although her father wasn't going to be able to make it for breakfast. He'd been on an important diplomatic trip to Tangu the last two weeks. There were matters that needed to be dealt with that he couldn't neglect, but he had crossed his heart and sworn on his honor to be back for Sofia's birthday by noon.

So breakfast passed, and then brunch. In anticipation of Roland's return, the family waited later than usual to take their lunch. But when the clock struck two in the afternoon, everyone began to get rightly worried. Finally Miranda asked Baileywick to send someone off to find the king, but to everyone's immense relief, just as the runner was about to set off on his mission, the king's carriage was spotted in the distance.

To everyone's confusion, however, the carriage was not being drawn by the flying horses like it normally was. Instead it was floating, suspended in the air by an aura of dark blueish-purple magic.

It floated to the ground just as the family met up with it, and Roland jumped out with an apologetic smile. "It's so good to see you all! Sofia, I'm so terribly sorry I was late for your birthday - But really, I'm just glad to be here at all!"

Miranda covered her mouth with a hand in shock, the other hand holding on to their youngest son, Julian. "Oh Rolly, what on Earth do you mean by that?"

"You wouldn't believe it!" The king went on excitedly, "We were on our way back when we were suddenly attacked by a rogue dragon! It scratched poor Silvermane's wing, and the coach almost plummeted to the ground! But luckily for us, this fine young sorcerer used his magic to catch us and saved our lives!"

Roland stood aside and motioned to a man who had just stepped out from behind the carriage, a tall and thin young man who appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, and was wearing a ragged old green robe. Despite his youthful face and flawless skin, his hair was the strangest shade, almost as white as snow but with just a hint of silver here and there. His eyes were a piercing mix of blue and green, and so striking was the glow in those eyes that every member of the royal family could see them even from afar, but especially Sofia. Those strangely beautiful eyes locked on hers from across the grounds, and she immediately froze at the sight of them, her heart thumping...

Roland went on as everyone caught up to the carriage, "Family, I'd like you to meet my savior, the Great Sorcerer Billy Blight!"

"Blight?" Amber repeated with a raised brow and a doubtful tone, then hurried to amend herself when Miranda gave her a disapproving glance, "I'm sorry - We're of course all so grateful to you for saving Father! But, I must say, I've never heard of a name like that before...?"

The strange young man answered her with a patient but uninterested smile, which Amber noted with displeasure. "Well, it's my family name, your highness, so all due respect, but I didn't choose it. We are a clan of sorcerers that lived in the badlands that the dragon came from. Well, we -were-, actually... I am the last of my clan, you see..."

Miranda covered her mouth in shocked sympathy, the mother in her taking over right away. "Oh, you poor dear! How long have you been living in the badlands by yourself?"

The youth looked away from her as he answered, "A few years, I think..."

Sofia continued to stare into the stranger's eyes. The color and brightness of his beautiful orbs enchanted her. She finally spoke up too, her voice quiet and shy at first, "Thank you so much for saving my Dad, Mister Blight..."

"Oh, please your majesty - Just call me Billy." He urged her back just as shyly.

"I like Billy better." James quipped, going over and giving the young sorcerer a playful light punch on the shoulder. "That's some really impressive magic you got, Billy!"

The tall young man shrunk back and bowed, his beautiful glowing eyes glancing down at his feet. "Thank you, Prince James. Your father told me all about you, about what am impressive knight you are - I think that's just as impressive as my sorcery skills."

"Why thank you, Billy!" James answered with a grin.

Miranda added, "What a kind and considerate young man you are, Billy. Would you like to come in and have some cookies and tea? It actually just happens to be my daughter Sofia's sixteenth birthday today, and we're going to have a celebration tonight. There's plenty to eat, so please help yourself!"

The handsome magical man looked over at the youthful, purple-clad princess, and bowed low before her. "I wish you a very happy birthday, your highness." He told her, his voice a little more boyish and nervous addressing her than it had been when answering Amber. "May I offer to perform some magic tricks for you, at your party tonight? Unless you already have the night planned out...?"

Sofia blinked and looked away from his piercing eyes for a second, remembering, "Oh, wait... Cedric was already going to do the magic show for my party tonight..."

But Miranda quickly intervened, "Oh Sofia, Cedric has done the magic at your parties plenty of times. I'm sure he wouldn't mind the break. Let Billy do it this time."

Sofia felt a little guilty, but too tempted to resist, she nodded with a smile. "Okay! I'd love for you to do some magic for my party, thank you!"

The charming young sorcerer smiled back at her, "It would be my pleasure, Princess Sofia..."

Amber flicked her fan open in front of her face, staring at the two of them suspiciously. The rest of her family began to lead the young man onto the castle grounds, but she stayed behind them, and instead headed up to Cedric's tower.

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Cedric was in the middle of trying to drop one single, perfect, tiny drop of a blood-red liquid into a cauldron full of neon-green liquid when Amber burst into his quarters unannounced and uninvited. He gasped sharply and managed to pull the vial back without spilling anything, which gave his heart a jolt and caused him to glare at the girl who had nearly just caused the both of them to be blown to kingdom come. "Princess Amber! What do you think you-"

The sixteen-year-old interrupted him confidently, arms crossed. "Cool it, Cedric. You're gonna thank me for this in a minute. Some sorcerer kid just saved Dad on his way back from the trip to Tengu. Now everybody's fawning all over him, and Mother even let him replace -you- in tonight's magic show."

That certainly got Cedric's attention. He almost dropped the red vial again in shock, but he managed to catch it just in time. "What?! B-But, -I- do the magic at Sofia's party every year!"

"Well, not -this- year!" Amber corrected him, "And that's not even the worst part..."

"It's not?" Cedric repeated.

"No!" The princess suddenly let out a very unladylike growl, and even stamped her foot. "Cedric, be honest with me for a minute - IF you were a young, attractive, talented, YOUNG sorcerer-"

"You said 'young' twice..." He mentioned gloomily under his breath.

Amber went on without a care, "I'm just saying, IF you were those things, but especially attractive and young-"

Cedric felt compelled to interrupt her at least once more, "You know, I might not be that young, but I'm not THAT OLD, either! I'm only thirty-four you know!"

"Focus, Cedric!" The haughty princess scolded him, "IF you were young, attractive and a really talented sorcerer, and you had just been introduced to our royal family, who would you show interest in first, me or Sofia?"

Cedric stared at her for a long moment, shocked into silence.

"Well?" She demanded impatiently.

He immediately deadpanned back, "Oh no. I'm not touching this one with a ten foot wand, Princess Amber."

"No, be serious!" She insisted with a frown. "It's -obvious- that I would naturally be a better choice than Sofia! I'm closer in line to the throne, simple as that. Which means that this guy doesn't have those kinds of motives! Or maybe he still does, but not concerning Sofia...?"

"Wait, what-?" The royal sorcerer was beginning to get confused.

"LISTEN!" Amber suddenly stamped her foot again, uncommonly frantic, "I know what you're probably thinking, but believe it or not, I'm not just jealous that some handsome boy is paying attention to Sofia! I don't know why but this kid gives me the creeps, okay Cedric? Father is thankful to him for saving his life and so is everyone else. I knew -they- wouldn't listen to me, so I need you to! Sofia was acting really different from usual since she saw this guy. She -stares- at him, like... Like she's head over heels in love! Now some of my girlfriends might get like that sometimes, but Sofia's not like that with boys, let alone one she just met! Even if he is -incredibly- gorgeous, literally incredibly - He's got these glowing greenish-blue eyes and silvery white hair! How many kids have you met with white hair?"

Again Cedric deadpanned, pointing to his own bangs, which unlike most of his coal-colored hair had always been that strange contrasting white flecked with a few grays. He'd never used magic to dye it, as some assumed, he'd been that way since he was a boy.

Amber disregarded his not-quite-sarcasm and continued, "Plus, this kid IS a sorcerer, so, he could have placed some kind of spell on Sofia, couldn't he?"

Cedric blinked for a few seconds, finally processing the information. "Well, yes, that could be a possibility, I suppose..."

She sighed and put her hands on her hips in determination, "Alright, listen. Mother already let him take over your magic show for the evening, so there's nothing anyone can really do about that. But you should at least leave your stinky potions and books for one night and come watch the show yourself, to make sure he doesn't do anything nefarious! And if he does... Well, he's obviously more talented than you, so I'm not sure how much you could really do, but we need at least one magical person on our side. So, be at Sofia's party tonight. That's a royal order!"

He didn't need to be ordered and he didn't appreciate her lack of confidence, so he gave her a light glare, but nodded resolutely nonetheless. "I'll do it."

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Cedric headed downstairs to Sofia's party a few minutes earlier than it was scheduled, getting comfortable behind some tapestries where he could watch without being seen. The guests had crowded around the room while the royal family sat in their thrones up front. In the very center of the room, the beautiful youth stood, his green cloak draped out in front of him dramatically.

He suddenly threw the cloak back over his shoulder, and in each hand, he was holding a rose. One of the roses was a fresh red bud barely peeking out of the green calyx, while the other was so wilted it was impossible to tell what the color had once been, but it was currently brown and shriveled. He held the two flowers out for everyone to see, and the red bud began to rapidly bloom. At the same time, the wilted rose seemed to be in a state of reverse-decay. It's dried-out stem began to fill with water and green color, and the wilted rose petals, which were so dry before that they were almost about to fall off, blossomed anew with freshness and pure white color, veined with a healthy bit of green.

The white rose bloomed in full, then began to shrink back into a bud. The red rose, in the meantime, had begun to wither. Just when this began to worry the guests, the strange sorcerer put his magic back in reverse, bring both flowers to a full bloom, neither a bud nor decaying.

Everyone clapped for the trick, and he brought the flowers up first to Sofia to choose one. She selected the white rose with a dreamy smile, and Billy lingered just a second to wink at her before bringing the red rose over to Amber. She looked at him doubtfully for a second, but with her parents giving her expectant stares, she finally gave in and took the rose, which suddenly wrapped around her wrist like a bracelet. At first she seemed shocked, but then to Cedric's apprehension, she immediately calmed down and accepted the gift with a smile...

The young sorcerer then went back to Sofia, and bent down to gesture at the old rabbit by her feet. Clover still had some spring in his steps, but he didn't `hop nearly as fast as he used to after all these years. "Princess Sofia, may I please borrow this rabbit for a trick? I promise it will be amazing..."

He looked deep into her eyes, but to his surprise, she resisted, "I... I don't know... Clover isn't just my pet, he's my friend, and he's pretty old... The trick won't hurt him, right?"

The white haired youth stiffened and took a step back, but he never took his eyes off of Sofia's, "It IS just a rabbit, your highness..."

Sofia's eyes stared back into Billy's, hesitant and struggling. Compelled by a very wrong sort of feeling bubbling up in his stomach, Cedric came out from beneath the tapestry he was hiding behind, and stepped forward. "That rabbit means an awful lot to Princess Sofia, Billy. You should find something else to use in your magic trick if it will hurt her pet."

Billy looked back at the source of the interruption with a small scowl. But the scowl was quickly replaced by a grin, and the youth bowed before he answered, "Ah, you must be Cedric, the royal sorcerer of this castle! But of course I'd never hurt the poor little bunny! Wouldn't you know it though, you've given me a better idea anyways! May I ask for YOUR assistance with this trick, Cedric? I'll still need the bunny too, but I swear on my life, Princess Sofia, he will not be harmed."

Reluctantly Sofia finally nodded and handed Clover over to Billy, and since he seemed to have been roped into the charade, Cedric stepped out into the middle of the room. Billy placed Clover right next to Cedric and took a few steps back. He then pulled out a wand from his shirt, and began to wave it around, muttering words no one could make out under his breath.

Cedric could see wisps of purple magical aura surrounding him and Clover, but then he suddenly fell forward with an awful pain, as if he had been punched in the gut and the heart and the head all at once. While Cedric slowly recovered on the ground, the purple magic began to swirl around Clover frantically, and after a moment of being encased in that magic, Clover finally emerged again. Not only was he unharmed as Billy has promised - He was a very young rabbit again, spry and alert.

He happily hopped and bounded over to Sofia, sniffling at her in a language only she could understand, "Sofia! I'm young again! I remember being a young bunny, but now I FEEL like one again!"

Sofia was of course overjoyed for her pet, but she was also terribly concerned for her best friend, knelt over on the floor in pain. "What happened to Mister Cedric? Is he okay?"

Billy rushed to assure her, making eye contact once again, "Oh he's fine, my dear princess! It did hurt a -little- but it is a temporary pain, I assure you! And quite a worthy trade if you ask me! Your precious little bunny got seven years of life back for just ONE of Cedric's!"

"But... You took a year of life away from Cedric!" She argued back, stubbornly staring back over his shoulder at Cedric, almost of the verge of tears for him.

Billy sighed and answered patiently, "Oh... Well, I am sorry Princess, but he DID volunteer. The pain is very temporary. And I'm sure he was glad to do it to make the Princess happy, right Mister Royal Sorcerer?"

Cedric slowly heaved himself back up off the ground, taking a few deep breathes before answering with a wheeze, "Yes, yes... It's quite alright, Princess Sofia. Everything's going to be alright..." He assured her, giving her a deep, meaningful look before slinking back to the shadows.

He stayed close by until the show was finally over. When the guests went about getting themselves refreshments, he stepped over to Amber as she went to get herself a drink, and started to whisper to her, "Princess Amber... There's something I noticed about this Billy-kid, that I think you should know..."

But she suddenly interrupted him, talking fast and stroking the red rose that was entwined around her wrist, "What about Billy? That he's just an absolute dream and utterly fantastic? Because I already noticed that~"

Cedric stared at her in horror for a moment before sputtering back, "B-But your majesty, earlier you said-"

"Forget what I said earlier!" She barked back at him with a deep glare, "I was wrong! Billy is the most amazing sorcerer in the world! If you have a problem with him, it's probably because you're jealous!"

She was yelling so loudly now that the whole room overheard, and to Cedric's shock King Roland began to approach the two of them. He didn't look happy. "Cedric, do you have some kind of problem with Billy? The young man who bravely saved my life today?"

Cedric shook a bit and quickly bowed, "N-N-No your majesty! I meant no such disrespect, I swear! I'll just return to my quarters..."

The King gave him a stern glance before replying, "Yes, you do that, Cedric. And I hope you come up with something amazing while you're in there tonight, because I've got half a mind to make it Billy's quarters by morning!"

The Royal Sorcerer's eyes went as wide as saucers, and he almost yelped back, "Y-Yes your majesty!" Before rushing out of the room in fear.

Almost shaking from the scolding, Cedric retreated back to his room quickly. But about halfway there, he found himself suddenly tripping over a foot that literally appeared from nowhere. When he got back up to his feet, Cedric found the young sorcerer Billy snickering at him from behind a suit of armor, his foot still stuck out. "Hah! Old man, are you blind as well as untalented? How do you even get to be a royal sorcerer with magic as pathetic as yours? Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter, since you won't be the royal sorcerer for long. In fact, I just wanted to tell you, as a parting gift of sorts - Don't bother working your butt off all night trying to impress the king tomorrow. You might as well just get a good night's rest. You'll be needing it when you have to move out and go job hunting!"

Cedric glared and ground his teeth up at the obnoxious little brat as he laughed and pointed at him. However, to Billy's surprise, Cedric answered seriously, "You know what? I'd be happy to give you this bloody job, Billy. But that's not what you're really after, is it?"

Billy stopped laughing, but he gave Cedric a funny stare, and grinned like a sneer. "What I'm after? Why I'm just a simple orphaned magician boy, picked up by a grateful king whose life I saved. If he should just happen to make me royal sorcerer out of gratitude, and if one of his beautiful daughters just happens to fall in love with me and I become a king someday, well, that would be just my luck!"

"Except Sofia isn't next in line for the throne..." Cedric quipped.

Billy's sneer somehow seemed to get more sinister. "Right! So obviously that's not what I want with her."

The older sorcerer continued to glare back at the haughty little punk, "You know, Billy... I've never seen magic like yours taught at any magic academies. I have heard of it though. Dark, dangerous stuff, I've been told. Where did you learn it?"

Billy's grin fell and he looked concerned for a moment, but then he smirked, "Oh, it's an old family secret. Passed down from sorcerer father to sorcerer son. Luckily for me, my old man coughed it up to me before he croaked. But that's really much more than you needed to know - I only told you because I knew it wouldn't matter if you told anyone. The whole castle loves me, if you try to tell them anything they won't believe you. So you might as well just gather your things and get ready to leave tomorrow. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a pretty, young Princess to dazzle and amaze!"

And with a puff of magical smoke, Billy disappeared, leaving Cedric coughing behind him.

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When Cedric got back to his chambers, he immediately began throwing things around, looking for his most powerful spell-book. There had to be -some- way to defeat Billy's magic, he just had to find it...

"Ahem! Cedric?"

One thousand and one hexes? A fine beginner's book but this Billy-kid was obviously no beginner, no matter how young he looked...

"Oh Ceddykins?"

Grand-witch's Guide to Jinxing? Amateur!

In his frustration, Cedric threw the last book over his shoulder, but when a loud yelp and the sound of his father roaring, "CEDRIC!" soon followed, he finally stopped what he was doing and looked back. Standing by his parent's portrait, his mother was worriedly watching Goodwin rub his sore head and straighten out his crumpled wizard's hat.

"O-Oh! S-Sorry Father!" Cedric immediately gave them an appropriately apologetic look. But then that look fell for a moment and he looked as his parents suspiciously instead. "Wait... Are you guys really here right now, or am I just imagining you again?"

Winifred redirected her worry from her husband to her son, and Goodwin raised a bushy eyebrow at him before replying, "No, son, we're really here. Your mother's protection spell sensed you were feeling very troubled, so she insisted we pay you a visit and find out what was wrong with you this time..."

Winifred glared and lightly nudged him in the ribs for that, "We just wanted to make sure you were okay, pumpkin!"

Cedric hesitated at first. He -really- hated to ask his parents for help with things, but he had to admit, if there was ever a time when he truly needed their help, it was now. Besides, there was much more than his ego on the line this time. The entire castle was in jeopardy, and the royal family had been ensnared by Billy's spell. And although he wouldn't admit it, Cedric was especially worried for Sofia. That Billy-brat had nothing good planned for her, he was sure.

Finally he sighed and began to pace back and forth as he confessed, "Alright - Some new sorcerer showed up at the castle this morning, saying he had saved Roland. But Princess Amber told me he gave her the creeps and that I ought to look into it. So I went to his show tonight, and he was using Life-Force Transference magic in his act!"

Goodwin and Winifred gasped. Life Force Transference magic was only semi-well known to be forbidden to all but the most powerful and trusted sorcerers. Goodwin had in fact learned the art once, but he had told Cedric long ago that he would never teach it to another or use it himself. It was 'unnatural', he had said.

Cedric went on, "This kid looks young, but with magic like that he could be as old as you two, or even older. Honestly, I don't know who this Billy Blight is or where he came from, but he's evil, that's for sure!"

His parents both gasped again, and this time Cedric could tell they were -really- in shock, because his father's mouth flew wide open and he stared at Cedric for a long moment, gaping. Cedric stared back at them in confusion and asked, "W-What is it...?"

His mother cocked her head at him, her eyes full of distress as she repeated, "Son, did you say he said his name was... Billy Blight?"

"Yes, why?" Cedric immediately followed, looking back and forth between them, "Do you know something about him?"

Goodwin steeled his eyes back at him, and Cedric got the hint that he probably ought to sit down for this one. He did, and Goodwin started to speak, "Over the years we've heard of a very talented but very dark sorcerer. It's been rumored he came from a very small and remote but powerful magical clan that died out except for him. There was never an official record of him, but the first anyone heard of him, he had said his name was Dillan Dwight. He was adopted by a kind mother and father, who enrolled him in a magical academy. But he bullied and even tortured his classmates, and was soon kicked out. Then, his poor adopted mother and father were killed in a very suspicious house-fire, and Dillan Dwight vanished without a trace..."

Goodwin then paused, and glanced over at Winifred. She put her hand up, motioning for him to stop and let her continue, "We didn't make the connection at first, but we heard of him again a few years later. An unknown sorcerer had been going through various little towns and villages in France and Germany, pulling dangerous magical pranks on people, inciting chaos and fear directed at harmless magic-users who had nothing to do with it. He had also apparently cruelly broken a handful of maiden's hearts. One of his last stops was in Arendelle... And he called himself William White..."

Cedric's eyes went wider than they had ever been. He remembered very well the name his mother said she had been given all those years ago. He shook violently and shrilly sputtered back at them, suddenly very glad that he'd sat down after all, "Th-That little BRAT... H-He's m-my F-F-FATHER-?!"

Winifred rushed to give him a steady hug, and Goodwin sighed, "We believe so, son. If he is indeed calling himself Billy Blight now. It really seems like the same sort of person, he probably just laid low for a while, while he perfected his terrible dark magic. If it is him, then we haven't a moment to lose! We're all going to go face this 'Billy' together and defeat him, to save the kingdom and the royal family!"

Cedric steeled his shaking body and nodded back sternly before rising to his feet, "Yes. We have to protect everyone from this awful fiend. It doesn't matter who he is, I won't let him hurt the people I care about!"

Winifred gathered them both into a quick group hug, "That's my boys! Now let's go give him heck! For Enchancia!"

"For Enchancia!" They all all agreed, pointing the tips of their wands together before they rushed to the rescue.

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Halfway there they decided on a plan and split up to put it into effect. Winifred branched off to go find the fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather for back-up, whilst Goodwin and Cedric went off to look for Billy. The found him in the main hall, which was now empty of it's earlier guests and strangely, even the usual servants and guards. He was standing before the royal family, who were all sitting in their thrones and applauding him, their eyes blank.

"I love you, Billy... You're so amazing Billy..." Sofia distantly mumbled to him.

"So amazing..." The rest of the family agreed in monotone.

Billy was gladly soaking in their forced attentions, not minding at all that he was making them say it. "Ohoho~ Thank you ladies, you're both so lovely..."

"Step away from them, Billy!" Cedric demanded as they arrived on the scene.

Billy rolled his eyes as he looked over his shoulder, "What, you again? How very tedious. And you've brought another old geezer with you?"

"Oh, you're one to talk!" Cedric scowled back at him. "I know you're not at young as you look! In fact, I know things about you that I don't think even you know..."

The confidence in Cedric's tone unnerved the 'younger' sorcerer, who glared back and barked, "Just what do you think you know?!"

Cedric stared coldly back at him. Instead of answering, he asked him another question. "Tell me, Billy, or should I say William... Do you remember a woman named Sarah Svenson-Hall?"

At first the sorcerer still looked confused. Cedric really wanted to smack him if he truly forgot about her, but in the next instant, recognition lit up in those glowing green eyes, and Billy slapped his knee and began to laugh, loud and hearty. "OH. MY. GOD! AHAHAHA! OH, oh, this is..." He let out a few more chuckles and wiped a tear from his eye. "Well this is terribly embarrassing, actually! I was so reckless when I was young, I always wondered if something like this happened. So you're my-?"

Cedric cut him off abruptly, "I'm NOTHING to you. And YOU are NOTHING to me!"

Billy didn't look the least bit hurt by his words, only irritated. "Fool! I might have thought about passing on our family magic to you. But you're clearly not good enough. You couldn't handle the power. You don't have the guts!"

Cedric ignored the verbal assault despite how much it stung, and instead forced himself to ask, "Just what are you planning with the royal family, Billy? I will NOT let you hurt Sofia the way you hurt my mother..." He warned with a growl.

The evil sorcerer began to laugh again, and reached over to stroke the princess's cheek. "Oh my! Aren't you worried about this pretty young thing? Don't worry my boy, I'm not the same reckless young man I was in my youth. I wouldn't take a lady to bed without marrying her first. At least, not a true lady. I don't think your dirty maid of a mother really counts..."

"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU-" Cedric began to yell back at him, unable to handle any more of the bile coming out of his bastard father's mouth, but Goodwin suddenly cut him off with a hand in front of his lips.

The great but aging wizard glared back at Billy. "You know I must say... I always hoped Cedric would turn out better than he has so far. But considering his -humble- beginnings, I'd say he's done very well with himself, actually! You're not very bright, are you Billy? Sofia isn't next in line to the throne, not even close!"

"Oh please." Billy scoffed back, "You're the ones who aren't very bright! I already told -precious wittle Cedric-" He said very condescendingly before he continued, "That that wasn't what I wanted Princess Sofia for. I plan on marrying Princess Amber, who IS next in line for the throne, not Sofia."

Cedric actually growled under his breath, "Then WHY have you been focused on Princess Sofia all day?"

He smirked, "Because, it would be a terrible waste to let such a sweet, ripe fruit go unpicked before it starts to spoil. You see, after a certain amount of trial and error, I've found that young maidens are the perfect candidates for the magic that restores my youth. Anywhere from thirteen to nineteen years of age. Much younger than that and you risk turning yourself into a baby, much older and there's not much point in doing it at all. Now, I -did- just restore my youth not long ago, but like I said, it would be a waste to let Sofia get any older and spoil her vitality. So I'm just going to take it now and bottle it up for a rainy day~"

"The HELL you will!" Cedric snarled, pulling out Goodwin's Family Wand from beneath his purple robes.

But Billy snapped back at him fiercely, causing Cedric to shrink back with doubt for just a moment, "OH PLEASE! What do you really expect to do, you lowly son of a dirty little scullery maid?! Did you know, I went to your mother with my beautiful white hair covered in soot? HAH! And even the man that took you in can't say he's truly confident in you! You're obviously nothing but a disappointment to everyone! You may have gotten some of your puny magic from me, but it's obvious you're just a lowly little human like your mother, barely worth my time to exploit!"

Before Cedric or Goodwin could protest or deny what he had said, suddenly Sofia shouted out, frantic, as if pulling away from a great force that she could not outlast for long, "Cedric! Don't listen to him, I know you can do it! Save me, PLEASE-!" Her hand stretched out to him, but then she shuddered and took an involuntary step back. Her hand went back down and her eyes glazed over, and she was silent and complacent once more.

Billy snarled out a cruel smile, "Well, well! This one's got a surprisingly strong will within her! But not for long-"

All three sorcerers readied their wands at once, but Billy, with the most youth and vitality, was the fastest. He deftly dodged the stinging spell Cedric sent his way, then flung a knock-out curse at Goodwin. Cedric could only watch in horror as the curse struck his true father in the chest, knocking him back onto the floor, unconscious.

In that split second, as he looked away from his father's fallen form and to the maniacal grin of the monster who had attacked him, Cedric realized several things at once, an instant epiphany. He realized that he was now alone, alone to fight against a terribly powerful and horribly evil sorcerer, who was hell bent on sacrificing poor Princess Sofia to his lust for eternal youth, about to steal her life just as he had assuredly already taken many others. This madman was also his biological father. His mother had indeed come from a non-magical family, but he had gotten the magic he did have from his father. The very same magic, from the very same man...

Sofia was right. As always. He really -could- do this...

He gripped his wand and threw himself out of the way of a deadly strike of lightning Billy had zapped at him. Then, knowing that he couldn't just fling curses at the the evil wizard with the royal family right behind him, Cedric shot him first with a summoning spell, which caught him by his precious white hair and flung him several feet away.

The royal sorcerer hurried to put himself between Billy and the royal family, shielding Sofia specifically with his own body. Then, just as Billy was beginning to get up, he quickly fired off several successive pushing-spells, knocking him back further and further towards the front door.

"Out-ticus. Out-ticus! OUT-TICUS!" He cried out, his rage building every time he repeated the word.

Billy blocked the last spell on a dime, stunned to see Cedric's eyes full of so much unbridled rage, and the sudden raw magic that was pouring out of him, "W-Wait! My dear -son-, I-I could teach you so much-"

Cedric might have been tempted by that offer once upon a time. But it only took one glance at his fallen father to set him straight today. "RRR, OUT-TICUS! OUT-TICUS! GET-THE-BLOODY-HELL-OUT-TICUS!"

The last spell was particularly powerful, fueled by all of Cedric's emotions, and it pushed the evil sorcerer right through the doors and sent him rolling down the stairs to the pavement below. Winifred was just arriving with the fairies at that second, and stepped back out of the way just before they were hit by the soaring sorcerer.

"Oh my!" Winifred gasped, unable to help smiling about it back to the fairies, "It looks like Cedric's taking care of this after all!"

"Hello mumsy!" Cedric greeted her quickly as he passed, then pulled back his wand and pointed it aggressively at Billy, who had just landed at the bottom of the stairs, bloody and bruised. "AND -STAY- THE BLOODY HELL OUT-TICUS-!" He shouted one last time, knocking Billy back with one last powerfully-charged pushing spell, which threw him so far he could barely be seen on the dark night horizon, and soon not at all, as he began to run away before the guards came after him.

"Hmmph!" Cedric glared after his retreating form for a moment, then walked back towards the castle. One step inside, however, and he suddenly realized that he'd overtaxed his usual daily magic output several times over. It hit him pretty hard. His legs turned to noodles underneath him and he fell to the floor, staring at his own hands, which were still gripping the family wand, in shock. "B-Bloody hell... Did I really just do that...?" He whispered to himself.

"Cedric!" Sofia cried, rushing towards him once Billy's spell had worn off. "You did it! You really did it! You saved us all!"

To Cedric's added shock, Sofia threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight in her gratitude. Over her shoulder, Cedric could see that Roland and Miranda, newly freed from their spells, had gone to help Goodwin, who was just waking up, back to his feet.

Roland and Goodwin whispered back and forth to each other for a moment, then Roland looked up at Cedric and asked aloud, in a state of amazement and just a bit of disbelief, "Cedric... You just saved the castle...?"

Usually Cedric would jump at the offer of praise and adoration, but he literally couldn't jump for anything right now. He could barely will himself to stand, and only with Sofia's help, which she insisted upon, wrapping one of his arms around her shoulders. He was simply too tired and dazed himself to want to do anything but get back to the silence and solitude of his chambers, so with the last of his quick thinking, he deflected and confessed, "Actually, your majesty, if anyone should get the credit for saving the castle today, it's Princess Amber. She sensed something was off about Billy and warned me about him just in the nick of time, just before she herself was put under his spell. If she hadn't, I might just as well have stayed in my room all day..."

Miranda rushed to hug her daughter, "Oh Amber! Thank you so much sweetie!"

James joined in and hugged both his mother and sister, chiming in, "Thanks Amber!"

Sofia smiled at them, then spoke up to her father, "Dad, I think Cedric's really tired after that fight. I'm gonna help him to his room, okay?"

Roland nodded, "Okay, Sofia. And, I'm terribly sorry your birthday went so wrong today, dear. I promise we'll throw another one soon to make up for it."

Sofia gave him a warm, appreciative smile. "Thanks, Dad. It's okay. I'm just glad everyone's safe. I'll go to bed myself after I help Cedric up to his room."

Roland nodded his approval again and Sofia began to help Cedric along up the stairs and around the corridors.

They were almost to his room when her steps suddenly slowed, and she began to speak, "Thank you for saving me today, Cedric... It was so awful, being forced to tell that wretched old man that I thought he was amazing, and that I loved him. Ugh..." She winced just remembering it.

And Cedric burned with shame, knowing the person who had treated this wonderful girl so shabbily was his own biological father. The cretin, he'd never stop hating him for it. "I'm so sorry, Princess Sofia..."

She swallowed against a thick throat, and whispered back, "It was... Even worse, because the person I actually do love was there to hear me say it to him..." She confessed, squeezing the hand on her shoulder and looking up into his eyes with purpose.

Cedric glanced down as he felt his hand being squeezed, the words registering just as he noticed that look in her eyes. His own eyes went wide, and he pulled away from her, gently but quickly, stumbling back against the door to his chambers. His heart was thumping, but not with excitation - With fear. "W-W-What-?" He barely managed to stutter out.

Sofia stayed where she was, but continued to speak honestly, "I'm sorry, Cedric. I know I shouldn't put you on the spot like this, but after how close I came today, to never being able to tell you at all-And after you bravely saved us all like you did, I... I just have to say it! Cedric, I love you..."

She -could- be meaning it in a platonic way, which still would have been pretty uncomfortable to respond to. But Cedric knew, from the way she said those last words to him in a hushed whisper, from the intense way she was looking at him in that moment, that she did -not- mean it in a platonic way...

His heart was jumping out of control and his mind was racing, but other than that the rest of his body was nearly frozen, he was barely even breathing. Sofia opened her mouth to say something else, but that just sent Cedric into a panic, and he suddenly blurted out, "NO. NO, NO, NO..." He even covered his face with his hands and shook his head back and forth for a moment in utter shock.

But then he remembered his manners, and realized that such a reaction would no doubt offend the princess. He quickly pulled his hands away from his face and put them up in front of his chest defensively. "I'm sorry Sofia, I don't mean to be harsh, but I just-NO. It's just NOT possible! I'm thirty-four - Thirty-five," He amended, remembering the year that had been taken from him earlier. "And you're sixteen! I just, absolutely -cannot- allow it... But..." He bit his lip as he slowly took in her reaction. She was listening to him patiently, for the most part calm, but tears had suddenly started to well up in her eyes. The kind of tears she was likely trying very hard to hold back, but could not.

"I -am- sorry to hurt your feelings..." He admitted genuinely, getting a little misty himself. "I think you're a great girl, Sofia, and I truly more flattered than I can say, that someone like you could love someone like me. Please believe me when I say, it's because I actually do love you that I say, I cannot love you the way you want me to right now... Because I -know- there's someone out there much more deserving of your love."

"But-" She started to protest.

However, Cedric just closed his eyes and patiently shook his head once more. "Princess Sofia, please..."

She stopped, took a deep calming breath into her slightly shaking form, then nodded, "I understand, Mister Cedric... I actually, truly do. Even though it hurts, I never expected you to respond any other way, and actually, I'm really glad you did. I'm glad you love me the way you do. I just, felt like I really needed to say it at least once, just in case something happened and I never got the chance again... I love you, Cedric." She repeated once more, wiping her tears as she finally looked away from him, and turned to retreat.

But he spoke up just one last time before she went, and he spoke from the heart. "Thank you, Sofia..."

She stopped, nodded briefly, then ran off down the hallway and around the corner, out of sight. Cedric watched her go with the strangest feelings inside. He somehow felt heavy and guilty, and yet also light as a feather, innocent and pure. How was it even possible for a soul to twist itself into such a pretzel of a dichotomy?

He finally just took a breath, and went to bed. The day had been so incredibly weird, he almost wondered if he'd wake up the next day to find he'd dreamed it all...

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Cedric slept in the next morning as usual, and everyone was happy to let him, until close to noon. That was when the sound of knocking woke Cedric up, but before he had even gotten up to get it, the door opened and Baileywick, along with three other servants, came walking in with various plates of breakfast foods, just about every one you could think of. He barely managed to sit up when they placed the trays holding the plates onto his lap. Then, to his further confusion and alarm, King Roland stepped inside and all the servants, except for Baileywick, shuffled out.

Baileywick closed the door behind them as King Roland addressed his Royal Sorcerer. "Good morning, Cedric! Forgive us for waking you, but I thought the castle's savior deserved a breakfast-feast in bed today!"

Cedric took a calming breath, and looked down at the dozen or so plates and cups that were laid out on the four trays across his legs. "Oh, thank you, your majesty. Really, this is a bit much though..."

Roland waved it off, "Nonsense, eat up! As it was, there is something else I came to speak with you about this morning, Cedric..."

Oh Merlin, there it was. The secret dread that he had carried inside him since Sofia's confession last night, Cedric was sure that's what this had to be about. This lavish breakfast was to be his last meal...

But instead of an execution notice, the King pulled out a different kind of envelope from his pocket, which Cedric was surprised to see had his name written on it in very small, neat calligraphy. Roland went on, "This letter arrived for you earlier this morning. I'm ashamed to admit that I read it already. I am sorry, I know it was wrong of me, but after yesterday's events, I was advised to do so, by Goodwin himself. Especially since you so rarely get mail, and especially because of who claimed to have written the letter..."

Roland finally handed it over to Cedric, who gasped aloud when he got a good look at it and realized for himself who had sent him this rare postage. Queen Elsa of Arendelle herself!

Reaching into the already opened envelope, he pulled out it's contents, and began to read, "Salutations Sir Cedric of Enchancia. I, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, thank you again for your recent assistance in Arendelle's hour of need. Your mother Sarah has been doing well. I am writing to you now because I have a proposition for which I'd appreciate your consideration. As you know, the production of Arendelle's Academy of Magic was completed shortly after you returned from your trip. It's been running smoothly so far, but unfortunately our dear Potions Professor, who was already quite elderly when he took the position, recently passed away in his sleep. I'm afraid there are no other potion masters in Arendelle, so I had to look elsewhere for a replacement. You were the first person to come to my mind, because of the help you've offered to Arendelle in the past, and because I've told that potions was your area of expertise when you were in school. I would be remiss if I did not tell you honestly, however, that if you were to accept my invitation to come work at Arendelle's Academy of Magic, I would require a commitment of at least eight years, preferably ten. You'll be granted a salary (disclosed on a separate attached note) as well as room and board at the school for your work."

He briefly glanced at the separate note with his offered salary - Being a teacher rarely made one a rich man, but Queen Elsa had made sure to be fair and make it worth his while if he accepted. He then went back to reading, "On a more personal note, I wish to tell you that Princess Anna and I have very much enjoyed and appreciated having your mother around the castle. She's a very dear, sweet lady and to be completely honest, she's been a godsend since Anna and her husband Kristoff were blessed with their first daughter. I don't know what we would have done without Sarah's maternal experience. In fact, since our parents tragically passed away years ago, I sometimes think Little Princess Inga thinks of Sarah like a grandmother instead."

"I hope this letter finds you well, and I eagerly await your response. Sincerely, Queen Elsa of Arendelle..." He finished at last, folding up the paper and putting it back in the envelope.

King Roland spoke up once more when he finished, "Of course you're free to make any decision you want to Cedric. I just wanted to let you know a few things either way. First of all, I want you to know that I was wrong about you. I've doubted you for years, but you truly are a -great- sorcerer, Cedric. So I couldn't blame you if you wanted to share your talents with others that need them more. And of course, we would all miss you if you left, and I would hope you'd come back and be my Royal Sorcerer again someday. But no matter what you feel is the right path to take, I wish you well. Please, though, eat your breakfast and take a few days to think it through."

He held out his hand for Cedric to shake, and after he did, the king exited his room, and after one last respectful bow to Cedric, Baileywick followed behind him.

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A few weeks passed since the 'Butt-Face Billy' incident, as James had dubbed it. Cedric avoided Sofia as much as possible, but one day she finally caught up with him in in the halls when he went to get some afternoon tea and cookies.

"Mister Cedric?" She called, and he sighed and waited for her to approach. She went on to inquire, "I heard about the letter you got from Queen Elsa, my Dad told me about it. He also told me that you sent her a reply yesterday..."

Cedric glanced back at her uneasily. "Then, I suppose you heard that I accepted her offer..."

She was pouting a little without realizing it, and he quickly rushed to add, "I didn't decide to do it to get away from you, if that's what you're thinking." He -did- feel it would be best for Sofia for him to put some time and distance between them, but he wasn't about to say that to her. "I spoke with my parents about it, and we all think it would be a good experience for me. I'll get the chance to spend some more time with my biological mother, and I'll be helping Arendelle by training a new potions master to eventually take over for me. I just really feel this is the best thing for me to do..."

She took a soft, quiet sigh and nodded back to him. "I understand Mister Cedric. I just can't believe you're going to be gone for so long. I... I'll really miss you..."

Cedric sighed himself, though it was far more abrasive, and rolled his eyes. He knew he'd have to address this eventually before he left, so it was best to 'rip the bandage' off now. Looking down into her bright blue eyes, he implored her, more candidly than ever, "Sofia, listen to me. I'm going to be uncommonly frank with you... I don't want you to wait for me. I'm not the one for you, I'm nowhere near good enough for you. You're young, and beautiful and smart and talented. I know you're going to meet someone just as good as you someday. So please, promise me you'll look for them, while I'm out there looking for myself?"

Her eyes clearly wanted to protest, but her heart knew he was right. Slowly she glanced down and nodded, "If that's what you want me to do, then... Okay."

Relieved by her wisdom and maturity, Cedric smiled and gently patted her head. "Thank you Princess Sofia. And I want you to know... I'm very proud of you."

She smiled back up at him despite the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "Thank you Mister Cedric. I'm really proud of you too. I know you're going to be a great teacher. But, I'll -still- miss you." She insisted stubbornly, "Promise me we'll see each other again someday?"

He couldn't help but get a warm and fuzzy feeling from her attentions. He would never understand what would possess such an amazing girl to love someone like him, but he truly appreciated it more than he could ever say. He couldn't deny that it gave him a certain boost of confidence to have a pretty girl be interested in him, but besides that, it was nothing short of life-affirming to know for certain when someone loves you, especially when it's not a very common occurrence.

"I promise." He told her, and that was a promise he intended to keep. He was eager to meet the fantastic person his princess would someday become.

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Goodwin, Winifred, Baileywick and all of the members of the Enchancian Royal Family went to see Cedric off the day he set sail for Arendelle. He gave his parents a big hug, a firm handshake to Baileywick and the King, and a bow before the Queen and her children. When he got to Sofia, he felt the deep urge to tell her something, but he wasn't sure what would be most appropriate, especially in front of her parents.

Thankfully the princess acted first, reaching into a satchel she was carrying, and pulling out a long, lavender-colored scarf. "Here, I made this for you. Since it's going to be cold in Arendelle..." She trailed off with a small smile.

Cedric smiled appreciatively as he took it from her. "You made it? By hand or with magic?"

"Hehe, a bit of both!" She admitted, her smile stretching a little as she waited eagerly for him to put it on.

He did, and it was warm, and softer than anything he'd ever worn before. He smiled down at her, and even though his throat was tight, he managed to croak back, "Thank you, Sofia... For everything."

He felt heavier than the anchor when he finally got on board. He knew that what he was doing was the right thing for everyone, but it was still more difficult than anything he'd ever had to do before. Every step felt like a mile hurdle, and when he finally stepped onto the ship, the rocking of the boat matched the unease he felt as he looked back at his friends and family, who waved to him sadly.

He waved back, and they continued to wave until they could no longer see each other on the horizon. After that Cedric had to admit, he was terribly lonely on that long boat ride. He didn't seek out the other passengers, he just kept to himself and made sure nobody bothered Wormwood.

Yes, except for tending to Wormy, it was terribly lonely... But at least Sofia's magical scarf kept him warm in that damp and drafty ship, even when they reached the frosty shores of Arendelle. It was a very good scarf, long enough to cover Cedric's ears and face, with enough still left over for Wormy to bundle underneath too.

And then, when he saw his mother Sarah and Queen Elsa, and Princess Anna and all of her family gathered at the port to greet him, smiling, waving and whistling, he didn't feel quite so lonely anymore either.

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(( Hope you enjoyed, please review! =D ))


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